Cure for migraine headaches and nausea: Include fruits and vegetables in your diet, and avoid coffee and alcohol. You must load up on good carbs.

Cure for migraine: Headaches can be minimised with just a few simple diet hacks. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Migraine headaches can eat away your peace of mind. After all, you need to have a steady head to perform to the best of your ability. If you’ve been suffering from persistent headache for more than two days, it is advisable to get it checked from a physician at the earliest.

Surprisingly, a few diet hacks can also help you relieve that pain. According to a 2016 study, eliminating coffee and processed foods high in nitrites or monosodium glutamate (MSG) can help fight headaches and migraine.

Apart from coffee, alcohol and processed food, nutritionist Janvi Chitalia suggests eating more of water and potassium rich foods such as watermelon. “Sometimes a headache is caused by dehydration. Loading up on fruits and vegetables that are high in water content such as berries, cucumber, melon, soups, tomatoes can help,” she adds.

A healthy dose of carbs may also help. “A diet that has less of carbohydrates tends to deplete glycogen stores that lead to fluid losses and can trigger dehydration related headaches. A healthy boost of carbs may also improve your mood, as they help your body to release serotonin, the feel-good hormone,” she adds.

Here are some other foods that you can include to relieve migraine or a headache. Dried apricots, avocados, almonds, cashews and brown rice are full of magnesium. These help prevent headaches by relaxing the blood vessels.

Similarly, green leafy vegetables, low fat dairy products and other calcium rich sources of food can also help relieve chronic headache. “If you regularly suffer from headaches during your periods, you can add some sesame seeds to your diet. Sesame seeds are a rich source of vitamin E, which helps stabilise estrogen levels and prevents headaches,” adds Chitalia.